


Limelight

by Primarina (sherlockstummy)



Series: The Kitten and the Bug [28]
Category: Game Grumps
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Exhaustion, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Married Couple, Married Life, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Sleepy Dan, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and tea, like always, there are fans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-02-03 04:39:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12741192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherlockstummy/pseuds/Primarina
Summary: Danny is exhausted.I don't know what this is.





	Limelight

There were times when Dan needed to be by himself. He’d squirrel away in the office, wrapped up in a throw blanket and his heated slippers, only emerging to get food and water. Sometimes, he didn’t wear headphones, and Vie could hear standup routines or music or YouTube sketches from the likes of Markiplier and Jacksepticeye or sometimes even Grumps. Sometimes, he wore headphones, and Vie guessed he was watching porn or something.

But Vie was an introvert, and so she understood. She had her doubts when Dan proclaimed to be extroverted, but it wasn’t a battle she cared to have with him. She let him think a lot of things about himself. No matter how feminist a woman may be, she will let her man have certain victories. That was just one of them. 

These days of solitude didn’t happen often, but Vie could usually tell when they were due. They often came after Dan had been busy, which was understandable. Being “on” was incredibly exhausting, after all. And two tours in quick succession, followed by a brief but aggressive illness, followed by recording two albums worth of music, with more tours on the way, would exhaust anyone, least of all Dan Avidan, workaholic extraordinaire, who nevertheless had a limit like most human beings out there.

That’s why Vie was surprised when Dan asked if he could tag along with her on her errands. She had to go to the mall to do some returns and pick up a few products for a video, so she wasn’t going to be gone long, and she had been sure that he would’ve preferred to rest at home. Dan was a patient man, and she was not one to particularly linger long in stores while shopping (except maybe Sephora, but what makeup lover isn’t weak for Sephora?), but there was a limit to his patience, and shopping in a large mall on a Saturday, close to a school break, where he was likely to get recognized was trying it for sure.

But, she couldn’t really say no to those soft brown eyes, and so she let him come with her. Vie could tell that Dan was exhausted at the very least mentally, if not physically. There was a side to Dan Avidan that the world did not get to see. It was rare even for his closest friends to see him like this, and that was because this was a part of himself that he kept private. 

Worn down and away from any recording equipment, cameras, or thousands of adoring fans crowded into smelly seats in an old theatre or smooshed together in a giant pit, Dan was quiet and spacey. He held her hand like an obedient child instructed to do so whilst crossing the street, his thumb pressing uncomfortably between her knuckles intermittently, crowding closer to her to let people walking too fast for them pass him. He kept fidgeting with the ends of his jacket or loose curls in his hair, his eyes dull, a thousand miles away somewhere. When she had to let go of his hand, Dan bit his lip and cracked his knuckles, as if there was a piece of him missing. When Vie took him to the Starbucks in the mall, he held the venti tea in both hands, smiling at the warmth and only occasionally sipping from it. There was a little pastry bag in his pocket, untouched for now.

Vie stayed alert for the store she was looking for, her arm laced through Dan’s. It may have looked like she was leaning against his bicep, but really, she was holding him up. His slight weight bumped against her shoulder, and he was slumping. He never had good posture when he was tired like this. She heard him slurping noisily at the tea, and when he caught her looking a second too late, he smiled warmly, just a slight upturn of his thin lips to indicate he was doing okay. Vie wasn’t really sure, and she reached for his free hand to give it a little squeeze.

“There it is,” she gestured with their joined hands. Dan’s wrist cracked as he slackened it to let her move it. “Do you want to come in? I’ll just be a minute.”

Dan shook his head, craning his neck towards a little in-house bakery with cupcakes in the window. Vie smiled.

“Go get yourself a sweet, sweetie.” Dan smiled genuinely, his face lighting up at the intentional pet name. “I’ll be right back.”

Vie squeezed his hand, and then let her arm drop. Dan parted from her with a reluctant whine, pocketing the hand she’d been holding immediately like a fussy child, pivoting towards the bakery.

Vie wasted no time making her return and picking up a new item to replace it, but it seemed like she had been gone for two long. About to exit the store, she stopped, watching between two mannequins with unrealistic bodies in the shop window.

Four teenagers with stars in their eyes, phones in their hands, and tiny bags from surrounding cheap stores were all excitedly talking at Dan, who she could tell even from this distance was doing his best to be charming, but she could see how impatient he was to have an excuse to get away. His fingers were tapping anxiously at the side of his Starbucks cup, his other hand hidden from view in his jeans pocket, shoulders drawn and body tense, smile almost painfully polite.

She risked being called a bitchy wife on Tumblr and several dozen angry tweets, but fuck it, she wasn’t going to let Dan suffer. Vie marched out of the store with purpose and slid her arm through Dan’s. He jumped in surprise, tense even under her gentle touch, and she could feel him looking at her dully. “Sorry to interrupt, but wehave to get going now. You guys got your pictures, right?” 

The teens nodded dumbly.

“It was nice meeting you all. Bye!” Vie smiled as politely as she could manage before gently guiding Dan away from the teens. Vie could feel them standing still and staring after her, but she bit her lip and marched onward, and for his part, Dan followed her without speaking until they were at the car.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Dan mumbled. Vie almost didn’t hear him; his voice was hoarse from abuse and he was practically talking into The Beast. Plus, it was windy as she unlocked the car, tossing her bags in the back and getting in as Dan wandered around to the passenger’s seat.

“Yeah I did,” Vie gave him a Look through the rear-view mirror. “You’re exhausted, and you have a life, too.”

“I don’t think that last girl did get a picture,” Dan said with a sigh, slouching in the seat, large fingers digging into his temples.

“Who cares? She’ll be up on cloud nine that she actually met you.” Vie started up the car, pulling out and carefully maneuvering through the parking lot.

“Mhm,” Dan sipped his tea again, yawning. “I can’t even for the life of me remember what they were talking about.”

Vie nodded. “It’s okay.” There was no “thank you” yet, but that could wait. Dan was trying to process the impromptu fan meetup in his tired mind. He hadn’t been prepared, and had probably resented it, though his nature probably either wouldn’t let him recognize the resentment, or would make him feel guilty for resenting it. Either way, it was a lot to wade through.

“Thanks for rescuing me,” Dan took her hand across the console as they left the crowded parking lot. “I love you.”

“Yeah, anytime,” Vie smiled at him. “I love you, too, baby.”

“D’ya think it’s bad if I go to sleep, like,” Dan let out a gusty sigh, “as soon as we get back? I feel like I’ve been up for three years straight.”

Vie shook her head. “I can wake you up if you sleep too long. Are you okay, though?”

“Fine, just worn out.” Dan finished his tea and muffled a burp. “I’m inclined to think that was the worst fan encounter I’ve ever had.”

“Well, they shouldn’t have kept talking to you like that. It’s not the time or the place.”

“Mn, but, like, I get it, in a way.” Dan rolled his shoulders. “Like, ‘I’m never gonna see x-celebrity again in my life, might as well make the best of it’. Can’t say I never did that in my life and regretted it later.”

Vie cringed. “Oh, God, I think I’ve done it, too.” Dan snorted. “Still. I think people should learn to respect boundaries. I was furious after the cup-grab.”

“At least I was wearing a cup in the first place.”

“Woof. Thank you, TWRP.”

Danny giggled, and Vie started giggling, too.

~

As soon as Vie pulled in the driveway, Dan was getting out of the car. He was dragging his feet, listless, clearly at the end of his tether. And Vie couldn’t exactly blame him. As promised, once he’d toed off his shoes at the door, he made a beeline for the bedroom and closed the door with a thump of finality, clicking the lock closed.

Vie wasn’t particularly stoked about being locked out of the bedroom, but she could deal. She removed her makeup with wipes from her trusty kit, standing sentential by the door, and curled up on the couch with her DS in one hand and her laptop on her thighs. 

It had only been an hour when she heard the bedroom door creak open. Her husband emerged, lazy and sleep-mussed, his curls frizzy and sticking up at wide angles, wearing a pair of her sweatpants with the drawstring tied tight. Dan stretched luxuriously, yawning cavernously, and flopped down beside her. He had thick, fuzzy socks on, and a pull-over sweatshirt with nothing underneath. She could only tell, because as he shifted, burrowing into the junction between her neck and shoulder, it rode up, exposing his hipbone.

Vie closed her laptop and set aside her DS. “Hey you.”

“Hey.” Dan’s voice was low and scratchy from sleep, slow and somewhat musical in its own way. It kind of reminded Vie of the feeling the lowest note on an electric guitar sends through you when you hear it played by itself.

“You were only sleeping for an hour,” Vie told him, adjusting so that she could crawl into her lap if he wanted to. “And you haven’t been in the office yet. Do you need me to step out for a while?”

Dan raised his head up slowly to stare at her. “Vie, I came to cuddle you. Shut the fuck up.”

Vie giggled, tilting her face forward so that their noses touched. Dan’s body was warm from bed, and he smelled amazing, like fresh laundry and tea. “Okay, sleepyhead. I’m just asking.”  
Dan closed the gap between them without hesitation, kissing her sweetly, a brief, sleepy press of lips, before shifting to lie down across her lap, his body positioned between her thighs. “You’re so cute.”

“It’s why you married me,” Vie teased lightly, wrapping her arms around the small of his back, smiling as he did the same, and tracing a nonsense pattern against his spine. “I just can’t help but notice that you want to be alone sometimes. You lock yourself away when you get tired, and I won’t see you for hours.”

Dan pressed a kiss to the side of her neck. “I know, but I’m not tired of you. I miss you.” He curled up slightly, snuggling closer to her heat. “I feel like I haven’t seen you. Tour was crazy and way too long, and recording was hell on my throat.”

“I can tell,” Vie soothed, kissing his forehead. “Poor baby.”

“I’m glad you came to Europe with us,” Dan murmured. “I don’t think I would’ve held up half as well otherwise.”

Vie’s heart warmed, and she squeezed Dan gently to her. “I’m glad, too. I loved touring Europe with you guys.”

“It was fun. I’d totally do it again.” Dan closed his eyes against her chest, sighing. “I needed this, Vie. Thank you.”

“What are wives for?” Vie asked, running her fingers through her hair, delighting in the fact that Dan tilted up into her touch. “I needed this, too. It’s nice to know you don’t need a vacation from me.”

“No. Never.” Dan replied with conviction. “To be honest, I usually hide away to jerk off.”

Vie snorted. “Oh, my God, I knew it.”

Danny laughed. “I’m sorry! I have needs, too, y’know!”

“As long as your cum isn’t clogging the drain, or getting all over my streaming equipment, I don’t care.”

“Baby, there is nowhere near enough iron in my diet for my jizz to shoot that far.”

“…Ew.” Vie wrinkled her nose. “But noted.”

Dan giggled softly into her neck.

After a moment of silence, Vie pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. “Hey, Danny?”

“Yes, my Bug?”

“Are you feeling better?”

Dan smiled against her skin. “Now that I’m with you? Yeah.”


End file.
